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Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Happy Bloomsday and GBBD

'Mother of Thyme' thyme

Well, I'm a little late (again) for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day so again on this June day I'll be posting a GBBD post on Bloomsday. I don't do it on purpose but I'm also okay with giving a tip o' the hat to Molly and Leopold.

A little bit about my thyme plant above, now in bloom (there's that Bloom again!). Several years ago I planted three 4" plants of the 'Mother of Thyme' variety in a corner of one of my 8' x 8' beds. In no time at all they took off and at times have filled a full quarter of that bed. I've been digging up and giving away parts of this plant for a couple of years now. My point? If you have trouble growing thyme, you should have no trouble at all with this one. Good drainage and sun is all it needs.

Purple coneflower and Verbena bonariensis

I have three different varieties of purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) in my beds but I can't remember which ones I planted where. So I have to wait until they all bloom before I can figure it out (hopefully). Seems like this year they all took a long time to start blooming.

I find the close up photos of coneflowers so interesting. Sometimes I find neat looking bugs hanging out on them, besides the usual bumblebees and butterflies.

Lanai series verbena, 'Bright Pink'

I can't say enough good things about this particular verbena. It's practically a non-stop bloomer and grower, as you can see by its attempt to take over the irises.

Nicotiana and rosemary

Some of the nicotiana, which seeded itself into the gravel paths, has decided to hang out with the rosemary, which has decided to start blocking the gravel paths!

No-name daylilies

These are daylilies that are not what the package named and described. When it comes to daylilies, I learned my lesson about buying them when not in bloom. If any of you daylily geeks know what this one is called, I'd appreciate knowing.

Since it's June, I naturally have a few more things blooming than just these plants. But I've had little time to take photos or blog. Still blooming for me are other daylilies plus Marie Pavie rose, pelargoniums, 'Patrick's' abutilon, dianthus, peppers and eggplant, agastache, butterfly bush, crapemyrtles and some salvias. Not blooming for me are the tomatoes - it's too dang HOT. About to bloom for me is the 'Goldsturm' rudbeckia, yippeee!

Be sure to check out Carol's blog, May Dreams Gardens, for a complete list and links to everyone who's posting about what's blooming in their yard!

Hi Jean, I also didn't get my GBBD post up on time~it's going up tomorrow. I find that my echinacea purpurea and TN coneflower cross and i get a nice offspring~Have the bees been playing around there, too! Love the verbena. Last year I had a Salmon/Pink Tapian verbena that was a dream of a bloomer and this year they aren't selling it here. Will I see you in Buffalo? I hope! gail

Jean, I enjoyed seeing all your blooms, but what I especially like are the combinations. Coneflowers and verbena bonariensis--perfect! And I'm sure you must have planned that planting of verbena to contrast so well with the vertical iris leaves.

I've been complaining about the heat for so long, but Louisiana must be a sauna in comparison! I'm ready for less heat and less rain:)

I love pink & purple together, and the coneflowers and Verbena do it very well. Wish I could ID your daylily. It looks a lot like one that was here when I bought my house & that I'm still having trouble eradicating. (I don't like orange.)

Your no-name daylily looks very similar to my no-name daylily that I bought from one of those terrible bag of dry roots from the big box store. Mine might have slightly higher contrast between the more yellow petals to the yellow/orange. But that's no help to you since I also don't know the name!